Actuating key

ABSTRACT

An actuating key for use in a business machine having an electromagnet positioned therein so that the key may be operated by actuation of the electromagnet or may be actuated manually by the depression of the key cap. The key cap partially covers the electromagnet so as to prevent foreign matter from entering the mechanism and interfering with its operation. Also the core of the electromagnet is not attached to the key cap so that when the key is operated electromagnetically, the key cap does not move to the depressed position.

United States Patent Inventor Gosta Roland England Stockholm, Sweden 861,0 1 1 Sept. 25, 1969 July 20, 1971 Svenska Dataregister AB Solna, Sweden Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee ACTUATING KEY 7 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig.

US. Cl.

Int. Cl

Field 0! Search References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 761,179 5/1904 Pilsatneeks 4/1930 Langford 197/19 3,072,331 1/1963 Kennis 235/146 3,158,318 l1/l964 Beason etal i. 235/146 Primary Examiner-Stephen .l Tomsky Attorneys-Norman Friedman, Stephen E. Feldman, Arthur T. Groeninger, Morris 1. Pollack and Philip Furgang V netically, the key cap does not move to the depressed position.

ACTUATING KEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a key device and, more particularly to a device where the key is combined with an electromagnet, the key being designed for directly or indirectly affecting racks in a business machine for registering information in the same. The key device of the present invention is so constructed that information can be registered in the machine either manually or electrically.

There is a great need today for quickly and effectively registering information in business machines, such as cash registers. This is useful in reducing the waiting time for customers in retail shops, which time often can be rather long, which, for example is confirmed by the lineup at the self-service check out counters. The common, completely manual cash registers therefore cannot be considered to carry out the present requirementson an effective business machine.

The alternative, to electrically register information in business machines is already known, and constructions of business machines in which information is merely electrically registered already exist and are considered as essentially faster and more effective than the merely manually operated. However, in business machines in which information is electrically registered, information cannot be registered manually.

A combined key and electromagnet device, which can register information both manually and electrically is certainly already known, but that device is not constructed in such a way that it, in the best way, utilizes the advantages that could be obtained with such a device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The key. device of the present invention parts from the earlier known key devices in such a way that the apparent disadvantages that relate to these devices are eliminated. The particular advantages of the device of the present invention will be described in more detail below. g

The device of the present invention consists of a coil composed of an electric wire wound around a bobbin wherein a core is movably arranged. The bobbin is attached to a coil holder which is mounted on the machine. When electric current is supplied to the coil, the core will move downwards and in so doing it will push down a key shaft which is positioned in .the machine, and the key shaft will in its proper turn affect differential racks which, depending on the key's digital position on the keyboard of the-machine, will register information, corresponding to this position, in the register of the machine. Information can also be manually registered in the machine by means of a key cap arranged above the core, making contact with the same and furthermore covering the upper part of the electromagnet. It will easily be understood from the following description that the core is moved downwards when the key cap is affected by a pressure from above and pushed down.

The core, in this case, also affects the key shaft, which is positioned in the machine, and which in its proper turn will affect the differential racks. The keyboard of a business machine is of course provided with a plurality of keys. In certain cases it could be quite satisfactory that only a section of the keys on the keyboard are combined keys and electromagnets, while another section of keys, such as the operation keys in a cash register can be of aconventional, manual kind.

Additionally, the present invention parts from earlier known key and electromagnet devices in that the key cap which is positioned above the electromagnet and by which information is manually register in the business machine, is not attached to the movable core. This means that the key cap remains in its raised position when the core is moved downwards electrically, i.e. when electric current is transported through thecoil Thus, every key cap on the keyboard will be positioned in a raised position while information is electrically registered in the machine, which is especially advantageous from the point of wear and also aesthetically advantageous. Furthermore, avery essential advantage is obtained when the key cap is not attached to the core. It prevents the electrically registered information in the machine from being distorted, by manually retaining or lifting up the key cap while the information is being electrically registered.

An additional advantage obtained by the present invention is that dust and dirt of different kinds are prevented from coming into contact with, or forced into the electromagnet if the key cap has such an advantageous configuration that it covers the part of the electromagnet which otherwise would extend above the keyboard, i.e. it completely isolates the electromagnet from the surrounding space. Dirt and dust forced into earlier known magnets settle between the core and the coil and thereby prevent the core from moving unobstructedly in the coil, or prevent its function in some other way.

According to this, the present invention refers to a combined key and electromagnet of the kind mentioned in the introduction of claim 1. The characteristics of the invention appear from the characterizing parts of the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention will be better understood by the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings of a particular embodiment. The FIGURE is a perspective view of this particular embodiment of a combined key and electromagnet device according to the present invention.

The combined key and electromagnet device includes a coil 1, which consists of an electrical wire wound on a plastic bobbin 2 which is mounted on a coil holder 3. Inside coil 1 is a core 4 which is longer than the electromagnet and the coil holder together and thus extends out of these, which will be more apparent from the following description. Coil 4 is movably arranged in its longitudinal direction and is moved downwards when electrical current is conveyed through the coil.

In order to prevent coil 4 from being moved too far downwards, it has been designed to acquire a partly conical form (at 4a). The inner diameter of the coil has been reduced also in its lower part in that a circular hollow tap (not shown) has been positioned there. This means that when the diameter of core 4 exceeds the inner diameter of the tap, the core will be prevented from moving further down inside coil 1. The conicity of core 4 and the inner diameter of the tap are so adapted to each other that the core, when it is in a position where it cannot be moved further down, it will affect a key shaft II which is positioned in the machine, and which key shaft will affect the differential racks which register information in the registers of the machine, corresponding to the digital position of the key shaft in the machine. Key shaft 11, positioned below the core in the machine consists of a common, cutoff key shaft also used in conventional, totally manual business machines.

To make possible also a manual operation of core 4, a key 1 cap 5 is provided outside a bracket 6 which surrounds the electromagnet on three sides. Bracket 6 is attached to the coil holder with its both ends and with its short side it covers the upper part of the electromagnet. The short side of bracket 6 is provided with a circular hole 10 having a diameter similar to the diameter of core 4 in order to permit the core to make contact with key cap 5 and thus making a manual operation of the core possible. Key cap 5 is not attached to core 4 but only bears against it. Key top 5 has on its lower part two rectangular legs 7 positioned straight opposite each other and provided with rectangular openings 7a. The bottom parts 7b of legs 7 are in the figure tightly squeezed in between upper and lower position-locking means which are embossed on bracket 6. There are two position-locking means, one upper 8 and one lower 9, the form of which will be described in more detail below. When key cap 5 is in a raised position, the parts 7b will thus be positioned between upper and lower position-locking means8 and 9 butwhen the key cap is depressed legs 7 will move downwards over lower position-locking means 9. This is possible because the position-locking means have an essentially semicircular cross section and the legs are flexible. Legs 7 .remain inthis lower position until core 4 is'pushed upwards and'affects. key cap 5 toreturn to its initail, raised position,

lower edge preventing lower parts 7b of legs 7 from being moved over these locking means when key cap 5 is returned to a'raised position.

A restoring rack 13 is arranged in order to permit core 4 to be moved from its depressed, to its raised position. Rack 13 bears against the lower side of a protrusion 11a on key shaft 11 At the end of a machine cycle, i.e. when the information has been registered in the machine, the key shafts 11, which have been depressed during the machine cycle, will be manually or electrically restored to their upper, raised positions. During the upward movement of restoring rack 13,

which movement is received from the machine at the end of the machine cycle, restoring rack 13 will affect the lower side of protrusion 11a and move key shaft 11, and thereby core 4 and'key cap 5 upwards. The power which makes rack 13 move upwards is so great that parts 7b are moved over lower position-locking means 9 and into the spaced between positionlocking means 8 and 9. Parts 7b are prevented from further motion: upwards because of the shape of locking means 8, which has been described above. However, key cap 5 can be removed from bracket 6 in that legs 7 which are flexible are bent out sideways, whereby they will bypass the lower locking edges 8a of locking means 8, whereafter the key cap can be r 4 moved upwards.

lclaim:

l. A business machine comprising an actuating key;

an electromagnet having a coil adapted to be energized,

a core movably arranged in the'coil;

a cap at least partly surrounding said elcctromagnet, said cap movably attached to the business machine and being adapted to move said core independently of energization ofsaid coil and; g i

said coil also being adapted to move said co rc indepcndently of movement of said cap,.

2. A business machine as in claim 1 wherein a bracket is provided on said business machine, said bracket having locking means thereon and wherein a leg projects from said cap which leg is mounted to be moved over said locking means when the cap is moved to the actuated position and to be held by the locking means when the cap is in the normal position.

3. A business machine as in claim 2 wherein restoring means is provided for restoring the cap and the core to the normal position.

4. A business machine as in claim 3 wherein a member is provided which is adapted to be engaged by said restoring means for restoring the cap and core to the normal position.

5. A business machine as in claim 4 wherein said member is adapted to be vertically moved by said core.

6. A business machine as in claim 5 wherein said member includes a projection which is engaged by said restoring means.

7. A business machine as in claim 6 wherein said member is positioned perpendicular to said restoring means. 

1. A business machine comprising an actuating key; an electromagnet having a coil adapted to be energized, a core movably arranged in the coil; a cap at least partly surrounding said electromagnet, said cap movably attached to the business machine and being adapted to move said core independently of energization of said coil and; said coil also being adapted to move said core independently of movement of said cap,.
 2. A business machine as in claim 1 wherein a bracket is provided on said business machine, said bracket having locking means thereon and wherein a leg projects from said cap which leg is mounted to be moved over said locking means when the cap is moved to the actuated position and to be held by the locking means when the cap is in the normal positIon.
 3. A business machine as in claim 2 wherein restoring means is provided for restoring the cap and the core to the normal position.
 4. A business machine as in claim 3 wherein a member is provided which is adapted to be engaged by said restoring means for restoring the cap and core to the normal position.
 5. A business machine as in claim 4 wherein said member is adapted to be vertically moved by said core.
 6. A business machine as in claim 5 wherein said member includes a projection which is engaged by said restoring means.
 7. A business machine as in claim 6 wherein said member is positioned perpendicular to said restoring means. 